Tape-graphophone.



I.-S. & T. B. TURNER. TAPE GRAPHOPHONE. APPLICATION FILED 1ULYl2, 191 5.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

gnocwfozs Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

I. S. & T. B. TURNER.

TAPE GRAPHOPHONE.-

APPLICATION FILED JULY I2, 1915.

1,175,205. Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATE OFFICE.

ISAAC S. TURNER, OF OENTRALIA, WASHINGTON, AND THEODORE B. TURNER, OF PENTICTON, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

TAPE-GRAPHOPHONE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 12, 1915. Serial No. 39,416.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we,IsAAo S. TURNER and THEODORE B. TURNER, citizens of the United States, residing at Centralia, in the county of Lewis and State of Washington, and Penticton, Province of British Columb a, Canada, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tape- Graphophones, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in acoustics, and more specifically to tape graphophones.

The object of our invention is to provide a graphophone construction that will utilize an endless tape of considerable length upon which the etching for reproduction is contained, and of a width adapted to receive a continuous line of etching successively disposed with respect to the width of the tape. This system of arrangement provides for the placing upon a single record a very lengthy production, or an entire music or other program which may be reproduced without interruption for the frequent changing of records, as when small cylinder records are used. At the same time our device may be interchangeably used for cylinder records.

A further object of our invention is to provide a novel endless tape construction for use in recording and reproducing sound when used in connection with our novel graphophone.

Other objects of this invention not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be clearly understood from the detailed description and drawings forming a part of this specification.

Furthermore, this invention consists in the novel arrangement and. combination of parts more particularly described in the following specification and embodied in the claim appended hereunto and forming a part of this application.

Referring now to the drawings, which are merely illustrative of our invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of our device with the side cover removed to show the interior arrangement of the parts. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the sliding support construction. Fig. 4 is a fragmental detail of the partition showing the cut-out portion adapted to admit the shaft of the rollers to the slots.

Referring further to the drawings, wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout the respective views, 1 designates a rectangular casing, provided with a removable panel or door 2 upon the side thereof. A vertically disposed partition 3 is mounted within said casing. said partition being formed. with a plurality of vertically disposed elongated slots 4 spaced apart in parallelism, said slots being T-shaped in cross section. A cut-out portion 4* is provided near one end of each of the slots 1 so as to register with the rear walls thereof.

A plurality of idler rollers, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, generally designated by 5, are each formed with a shaft 6, screw-threaded at 7 upon one end and having a head 8 upon the other end thereof. Said shaft is adapted to be inserted within the slot 4 in such manner that the head 8 thereof will engage with the interior face of said slot. A spool-shaped sleeve 9 is mounted upon 'said shaft 6. A ball-bearing roller 10 is mounted upon said sleeve intermediate the end flanges thereof. A winged nut 11 is adapted to fit upon the threaded end of the shaft 6 and to engage with one end of the sleeve 9, thereby causing the other end of said sleeve and the head 8 of said shaft to bindingly engage with the side of said partition adjacent the slotted portion thereof. The rollers may therefore be retained in horizontal position at any predetermined point within the grooves, merely by the operation of the winged nut. The shafts of said rollers are mounted within the slots 4 through the cut-out portions 4 in the partition.

The rollers A, B, C, and D, are preferably larger in circumference than the rollers E, F, and G, and in the construction shown, wherein three parallel grooves are provided, we have shown the smaller roller E mounted within the central groove, while the small roller F is mounted between the larger rollers A and B in one of the grooves, and the small roller G is mounted between the larger rollers C and D in the other of said grooves.

A record mandrel 12 is mounted centrally upon the top of the casing 1, rotatably mounted at its ends, and having a gear various lengths, according to wheel 13 fixed upon. one end thereof. A, guide roller 14, having flanged ends 15, is rotatably mounted adjacent one side of said mandrel and is disposed slightly below the axial center of said. mandrel. Said roller 14 has a gear wheel 16 mounted upon one end thereof adapted to mesh with the gear wheel 13 on said mandrel. A friction roller 17, having flanged ends 17, and preferably smaller in circumference than said mandrel and said roller 14-,is rotatably mounted adjacent the other side of said mandrel, and is disposed slightly below the axial center of said mandrel. The L-shaped supports 18 and 19 of said rollers 14 and 17 respectively, are slidably adjustable with respect to said cylinder. This is accomplished by forming a rack arm 14 integral with the outside of support 18 and forming a cooperating rack arm 17'' integral with support 19 spaced apart inwardly with respect to rack arm 14*. A hand operated pinion 17 is interposed between said rack arms.

A gear box 20, containing a conventional type of gearing (not shown) is operated by means of a motor 21 and a belt drive 22 interposed therebetween, and is connected with the mandrel 12 by means of an arbor 23.

A sound box 24, is mounted on a pivoted arm 25, which is mounted upon a shaft 26, whereby said sound box is permitted to travel transversely of the tape record when the graphophone is in operation.

An endless tape 27 made of a material adapted to receive an etching from which sound may be reproduced,may be made of the length of the record. The said tape is placed in operative position by removing the side panel or door, adjusting the rollers 14 and 17 in spaced apart relation with respect to the cylinder, inserting one portion of the tape over the cylinder, and adjusting the balance of the tape over the various rollers A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, or any number of them as may be necessary to retain the entire tape in a taut condition, it being obvious that the said rollers are vertically adjustable within the grooves for the purpose of increasing or decreasing the relative distance between the rollers or any number of them.

The utility, adaptability, and advantages of our improved form of tape graphophone being obvious, it is unnecessary to further enlarge upon the same herein.

Having now described and pointed out the new and useful features of our invention, we do not limit ourselves to the shape of'certain parts where the shape is not essential, nor do we restrict ourselves to the exact details of construction shown and described, but mean and intend to claim all equivalents and variations thereof not departing in principle from our invention and falling within the purview of the appended claim.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a graphophone, in combination, a rectangular casing, a partition vertically mounted within said casing, said partition formed with a plurality of vertically disposed slots therein, a plurality of rollers adjustably mounted within said slots, a cylinder mounted upon said casing, a sound box mechanism mounted upon said casing, a rotating mechanism mounted upon said casing adapted to rotate said cylinder, and an endless tape record adapted to engage with said cylinder and said rollers.

in testimony whereof we afiix our signatures hereto.

Isaac s. TURNER. 'rnnononn B. TURNER. 

